Electric-circuit controller.



PATENTED MAR. 8, 1908.

` C. BACH, Jn.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Dso.1a,19oe.

77"(01 Z Y 2 e am Wm mm Effi/wma@ CHRISTOPHER BACH, JR., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC-CIRCIT CONTROLLER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 13. 1906. Serial No. 347.604.

Patented March 3, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER BACH, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Circuit Controllers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in what is herein shown, described and claimed its object being to provide simple, economical and efficient means for automatic opening and closing of an electric-circuit at regular predetermined intervals of time, and the application of a rotary adjustable switch in connection with the means aforesaid for opening and closing other similar circuits, the apparatus being especially designed for the control of flash-light circuits of illuminating display signs and the like.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents an elevation of an apparatus in accordance with my invention having parts thereof partly broken away and in section, Fig. 2, a horizontal section view indicated by lines 2 2 in Fig. 1, Fig. 3, a detail horizontal section view indicated by line 3-3 in Fig. 1, Fig. 4, a view of a fragment of a guide-finger constituting part of the apparatus, and Fig.

5, a horizontal section view indicated by line 5--5 in Fig. 1. y

Referring b letter tothe drawings, A indicatesa brac et attachable to any suitable support, and secured tothe bracket is an arm b of a vertically disposed cylinder B that may be otherwise supported. The cylinder is provided at its upper end with an air-outlet port controlled by a suitably caged check-valve c, the' lower end of said cylinder bei g open. Fitting the cylinder is a hollow piston C, and the'shell of said cylinder is provided with a series of upper apertures at suitable intervals apart in a vertical direction, all but one of these a ertures being` norm'ally plugged by screws or otherwise. Air is admitted to the cylinder, above the piston, through the open aperture e, and said iston has a shouldered stem D in referably ivotal connection therewith. This pivota connection of the stem provides for automatic adjustment of the same at all times to true vertical position and prevents cramping of said piston in its cylinder. The shoulder of vthe piston-stem is extended to form a flan e f, and a weight E of more or less spec' c gravity may be engaged with said stem at.

rest on the flange of same to hasten descent of the piston. That portion of the pistonstem below the shoulder and flange of same extends through an aperture in the upper horizontal portion of a double right-angle arm F, the vertical portion of this arm being guided in an aperture of the bracket A and its lower horizontal portion attached to a shouldered 'core G that reciprocates in a solenoid H supported by said bracket. To facilitate the removal of the stem or its attachment to the piston, the arm-aperture engagedby said stem may be provided with a swing-closure F, as is best shown in Fig. 5.

Guided in lugs g, g', of the cylinder and to a lug-arm g of the cylinder or otherwise,

as found most convenient, said lever being always beyond dead center when at rest to temporarily hold the rod I at extreme throw in opposite direction. The lower contactend of the rod closes on a contact-plug L supported on a spiral-spring n in the upper socket-end of a socket-stem M that is in preferably vertically adjustable engagement with a. bracket N, the shank of said Stem being shown as exteriorly screw-threaded and having set-nuts run thereon in opposition to said bracket above and below the same. The lay of the spring-controlled contact-plu is limited, by the engagement of a lug o of same with a vertical slot of the stem M, and a socket-wing O of this stem contains another contact-plug P supported on va spiral-spring p, play of the latter plug being limited, by the engagement of a lug g of same with a vertical slot in said wing. The Slot in the wing O is of greater length than the one in the stem M to permit ascent/of the spring-controlled contact-plug P after the ascent of the other contact-plug L, and a contact-point Q depending from the tappet J opposes the'plug P aforesaid.

The descent of the core Gr is limited by a foot 1 of the bracket A in the downward path of the core-shoulder, and loose on the lower reduced portion of said core is a spirallygrooved hub R and an insulating-block S of a rotary-adjustable electric-switch, the opposite spring blades T of which switch close on contact-plates U of electric-circuit terminals, these contact-plates being supported on a suitable insulating-base. Depending from a hub-plate s of the switch is an arm t to which ay spring-detent u is connected, and this detent` engages a ratchet-hub V fast on the core aforesaid to lock the switch in adjusted position, said switch being supported on said ratchet-hub. The insulation-block S of the switch is provided with upwardly extending holders w for carbons fv and spiral-springs w under tension against the same, these carbons being guided and held against rotary motions, by lugs 1n engagementwith vertical slots in said holders. Opposing the carbons o are other carbons y for which seats z are provided on the contact-plates U aforesaid, said carbons serving to prevent sparking in the switch.

In depending pivotal connection with the foot 7* of the bracket A is a finger X yieldingly held in normal vertical position by a spring b, and the lower end of said finger is inwardly oHs'et to be engaged by some one of the several vertically disposed spiral-grooves in the switch-hub R when the core G is elevated, as a result of energization of the solenoid H aforesaid, and thus a rotary adjustment of the switch is effected. A stop-pin c', depending from the bracket-foot r is caught in another ofthe spiral-grooves of the hub R to prevent overrunning of the rotary adjustable' switch. The solenoid, reciprocating circuit-closing rod, and stem M aforesaid are in the same electric-circuit inde endent of those having the contact-plates a oresaid for their terminals, the wiring of the several circuits being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 1 represents the apparatus at the instant of closing' of the solenoid-circuit, and as a result of the energization of the solenoid, the core G will be run up rapidly causing the arm F therewith to-lift the piston C, and at about the time said piston completes its upstroke said arm operates .to lift the rod I to break said circuit. In the meantime, the rotary adjustable switch has been lifted to break one circuit and adjusted to subsequ-ently close another circuit. The springcontrolled contact-plugs L, P, follow the rod I and its tappet J on their ascent, the contact of the plug P with the point Q being longer than the contact of the plug L with the lower contact-end of said rod, and thus sparking is confined to the auxiliary contacts. The solenoid-circuit having been broken, the core G and rotary adjustable switch therewith have nnmediate gravity descent, but the descent of the piston C is retarded by the partial, vacuum occurring in the cylinder B until such time as it uncovers an unplugged aperture in said cylinder, at which time its descent is accelerated to cause forcible impact of its stem D on the tappet J and a then sudden closing of the aforesaid solenoid-circuit the above described operations being repeated indefinitely at regularly recurring intervals of time, the interval between the breaking and closing of the solenoid-circuit being more or less rapid according to which one of said lcylinder apertures is left unplugged.

I claim:

1. The combination of a vertically disposed solenoid, a vertically movable contactrod by which the solenoid-circuitis made and broken, guides for the rod, means for holding said rod temporarily at eXtreme throw in opposite directions, a vertical cylinder open at the bottom, a piston having independent retarded gravity descent in the cylinder and provided with a depending stem, a tappet extending from the aforesaid rod in the des cending path of the piston-stem, a core movable in the solenoid, and a stem-and-rod lifting arm in connection with the core to have reciprocation therewith, the lift of the rod being concurrent with the completion of an upstroke of the piston. A

2. The combination of a vertically disposed solenoid, a vertically movable contactrod by which the solenoid circuit is made and broken, guides for the rod, means for holding said rod temporarily at extreme throw in opposite directions, a vertical cylinder open at the bottom, a piston having temporarily retarded gravity descent but thereafter free to suddenly complete its downstroke, a stem depending from the piston, a tappet extending from the aforesaid rod in the descending path of the piston-stem, a core movable in the solenoid, and a stem-and-rod lifting arm in connection with the core to have reciprocation therewith, the lift of the rod being concurrent with the completion of an upstroke of the piston.

3. The combination in an automatic electric-circuit controller of a .vertical cylinder open at the bottom and provided with a series of upper apertures at suitable intervals apart in a vertical direction, removable sto pers closing all but a predetermined one o said apertures, a piston having retarded descent in the cylinder until such time as it uncovers the open aperture of same, and circuit makeand break mechanism controlled by the movementof the piston.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto -set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wis- 125 consin in the presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER BACH, JR.

Witnesses: .l

N. E. OLIPHANT, GEORGE FELBER. 

